Next season is expected to be a gap year for the Indiana Pacers, despite them making the NBA Finals last season. Star Tyrese Haliburton is expected to miss all of next season, forcing the Pacers to scramble, but it may not be as bad as many suspect.
After all, they have a clear Haliburton replacement in Andrew Nembhard, who will likely start at point guard next season. He has shown untapped potential that will be on full display next season.
That will hopefully lead to a breakout season, with one skill recently drawing praise. Nembhard is a pesky defender and even did a solid job defending League and Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the NBA Finals.
However, his tendency to pull out the rug on defenders drew praise as an underrated skill. Nembhard often pulls back on contact when opposing guards lean in to try to push him back.
Andrew Nembhard pulling the chair on drives https://t.co/sVAB7Dt7XQ pic.twitter.com/joxMEjR3XC
— AKRiley (@AKRileyy5) August 12, 2025
Instead, Nembhard hilariously nopes out, backing off when the opponents lean in.
The Indiana Pacers will give the keys to Andrew Nembhard
The Pacers clearly have plenty of confidence in him, having him defend the game's top players. However, next season, he will be given the green light more on offense.
If he can prove that he can thrive as a starting-caliber point guard, then it could increase the Pacers' ceiling once Haliburton returns. Double so if Bennedict Mathurin also makes the most of playing big minutes next season.
Without Halliburton and Myles Turner, who signed with the rival Milwaukee Bucks, the Pacers will be down two starters. As a result, they will rely on Nembhard and Mathurin to pick up the slack, giving them a high degree of variation.
The Pacers need to see what Andrew Nembhard's ceiling is
The Pacers will have to rely more on their depth and a balanced scoring attack to offset the losses of Haliburton and Turner, and Nembhard will be key to that. Playing more minutes and more with the ball in his hands will give him offensive opportunities that he didn't have last season.
Therefore, the Pacers hope that he can take full advantage by expanding his game. That would turn a gap year into a season that has meaningful development for their role players.
Per 36 minutes, he posted 12.5 points and 6.2 assists per game. That may not be the perfect correlation of what to expect, but it provides a baseline with him likely playing more than 30 minutes per game next season and seeing increased usage. If he can average around 15 points and 7 assists next season, that would be a home run for the Pacers and prove that Nembhard has much more to offer than pesky defense.